Regulations vary from country to country on how distilled spirits can be distributed, not only the volume but also packaging, labeling, filling, etc. In the United States, the Department of Treasury Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau (TTB) regulates the bottle sizes for distilled spirits. Further, the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 authorizes regulations on the kind and size of containers for distilled spirits. According to the TTB, the purpose of the regulations establishing uniform standards of fill for alcoholic beverages is “to prevent a proliferation of bottle sizes and shapes which would inevitably result in consumer confusion and deception with regard to the quantity and net contents of the alcohol beverage package.” In addition, the “uniformity in bottle sizes required by these standards also facilitates the proper calculation of Federal excise tax.” A key issue related to these concepts is the potential loss of water and the resulting increase in alcohol concentration or “proof” which may be affected by the packaging.
The maximum volume of packaging of spirits may be limited in some jurisdictions. For example, in the United States, the maximum volume of packaging that spirits can be shipped or distributed in is currently 1.75 liters. This limitation has a significant impact for places where spirits are distributed or consumed in large quantities such as clubs, large events, bars, conferences, etc.
The current way to address this regulatory restriction is to create pump rooms filled with racks in which bottles are turned upside down and collectors channel the liquid through tubes to pumps and ultimately, to the dispensing device(s). This multiplies the capacity of a specific distilled spirit by the number of bottles used. However, this method requires significant real estate to support the bars in the property. It further has an impact on labor, space, weight, time and also the disposal process that generates a lot of waste. As a result, this solution creates significant inefficiencies.
The present disclosure is aimed at solving one or more of the problems identified above.